Rise of a silent ‘killer’ among urban poor Two major factors that are drivers of obesity are food and physical inactivity. OBESITY is not just a disease of the rich. Food shortage throughout history has led to the implication that being “fat is good” because only the rich and wealthy can afford to purchase food or indulge in mouth-watering dishes. It was only in the late 19th century when obesity was stigmatised and was later found to be a major contributing factor to non-communicable diseases globally. From scarcity of food during the Japanese Occupation and pre-independence to technological advancement in food processing methods, especially with giant fast-food chain investments, and easy accessibility to junk food has now made overweight and obesity a major public health crisis.